Elizabeth of Hungary
A princess from a noble royal house of Central Europe who, widowed at a young age, renounced her wealth and founded a hospital to care for the sick and the poor.
- Middle Ages
- Hungary
- Feast day November 17
- 1207 – 1231
- Confessor
- Widow
Listen to the life 0:50
Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231) was a Hungarian princess, daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary. Married to Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia, she led a life of intense piety and exemplary charity. After the death of her husband during a crusade, she renounced her princely life, placed herself under the direction of Conrad of Marburg and embraced poverty; Franciscan tradition counts her among the first tertiaries of the Third Order of Saint Francis. She built a hospital in Marburg where she personally cared for the most destitute. She is particularly known for her Eucharistic devotion and her love for the poor. She died at the age of 24 and was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1235.
